As work is underway again in Mansfield Town Centre on Severn Trent’s £76 million project to help protect the area from flooding, teams are continuing to install SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) at a rapid pace in other areas of the town.

Teams are continuing to work hard in Ravensdale to install over 232 environmentally friendly interventions that will slow surface water down by storing and filtering it before returning it to the network, meaning the network isn’t overwhelmed in storm events.

Eight rain gardens, 24 areas of permeable paving and a tree pit have been installed across Ravensdale so far, as Severn Trent turns to nature to transform Mansfield over the next couple of years and make communities more resilient against the increasing threat of flooding from climate change, population growth and urban development. 

On some interventions, water will be held and released back into the ground naturally, meaning that it doesn’t enter the sewerage network at all. When the whole project is completed in 2025, the SuDS will capture around 58 million litres of surface water – the equivalent of around 23 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The work will also have a secondary benefit of a reduced need for storm overflow activations, which will improve river health locally, and support Severn Trent’s Get River Positive commitment that its operations will not be the reason for unhealthy rivers by 2030.

Adam Boucher from Severn Trent said: “The progress we’re making on this exciting project will deliver huge benefits to communities in Mansfield. Our teams have been moving full steam ahead to complete our work in Ravensdale as quickly as possible. We’ve also finished installing the SuDS outside of the shops on Ravensdale Road, with planting work to follow in early autumn.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience whilst we work – we realise that our temporary lights on roads such as Newgate Lane, Carter Lane and Eakring Road can be an inconvenience at times but I’d like to thank everyone for their understanding as we complete this project that will have a wonderful impact for 90,000 local people in the area.

“We’re doing all we can, alongside our partners Galliford Try, Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to complete our work in Ravensdale as soon as possible, and develop a greener, cleaner vision for Mansfield.”

Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, Councillor Andy Burgin, said: “The progress that has been made at Ravensdale so far is a really exciting milestone in this project to make Mansfield district cleaner, greener and more flood resilient.

“Severn Trent’s innovative programme interlinks perfectly with the council’s ongoing plans to 'green up' Mansfield. Our urban greening project works are coming to fruition with the opening of the Memorial Garden and Pocket Park in the town centre and ongoing partnership work to plant more than 3,000 trees across the district.

“The council has been working with Severn Trent to minimise traffic disruption during these innovative and exciting installations, and I would like to thank residents in the area for their patience whilst they are taking place. I am confident as the roll-out of these sustainable drainage solutions continues that it will help to make Mansfield more attractive for people who live, work and visit the town.”

For more information on the work happening in Mansfield, please visit stwater.co.uk/Mansfield.